Rotary engine.



I. W. GEORGE.

ROTARY-ENGINE. APPLICATION man MAY 31. m1.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET J. W. GEORGE. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31-.m1,

Patented Feb. 19,1918.

3 SHEETS- SHEET 2 l. W.'GEORG'E. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLlCATlON' 'FILED MAY31. I9!!- Patnted Feb. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 'space and also of weight.

STATES PATENT -FFICE.

JOHN WILLIAM GEORGE, OF STBOUD GREEN, ENGLAND.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. .Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

Application filed May 31, 1917. Serial No. 171,997.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WILLIAM- useful Improvements in and Relating toRotary Engine-s, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines of the kind in which thecompression chambers and the firing or power chambers are formed in theinner Wall of an outer fixed cylindrical casing containing a rotatingcylinder which carries the vanes operating in the said chambers.

Now the principal object of the present invention is to produce animproved engine having a fixed outer cylinder, an inner cylinderrotatable within said outer cylinder, compression and firing chambersformed in the inner wall of the outer cylinder, abutments dividing saidchambers, fuel transfer valves, hinged vanes arranged to operate withinsaid chambers, and mechanism for' operating the vanes.

A further object of the present invention is to produce an enginecontaining the above mentioned parts and constructed in such manner thata greater efficiency than at present is obtained and in which acontinuous series of firing strokes are produced per revolution of theengine. The engine has .less working parts than those of ordinaryconstruction and there is a very great saving of The exhaust gases areswept out of the engine at the end of each explosion, and therefore nofoul gas is left behind to be mixed with the incoming charge. The wholeof the engine is water or air cooled inside and out. No retarding actionis obtained as the force is continuously in one direction. Thoroughlubrication is given to all the working parts of the apparatus which arealso made gas tight,

with packing strips and rings which give the minimum of friction.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a suitable construction of theengine.

Fig. 2 is asectional plan thereof.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of one of the vanes and of cal-nmechanism for operating the vane and a valve.

Fig. 6 is a view of the main cam surface.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of spring and cam controlled valve mechanism.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown, an outer cylinder atis provided with two sets of chambers b and 0; one 6 containing thecompression chambers b and the other containing the firing or powerchambers 0. These chambers b, c

are arranged between the inner wall of the outer cylinder at and theouter wall of an inner cylinder 03. The inner cylinder 03 is mountedaxially in respect to the outer cylinder a and serves as the rotatingunit and is connected with suitable inlet and exhaust openings 6, f, andcarries suitable vanes 9,- while the outer cylinder carries thecompression and firing or power chambers b c, and the necessary valvesfor transmitting the fluid from one set of chambers b to another set ofchambers c.

The two sets of chambers b, c of the outer cylinder are provided byarranging a. partition a transversely to the axis of the engine andbetween its disk-like ends or straight side walls j, is. This artition71 preferably only extends from the inside wall of the outer cylinder atto the outside wall of the inner cylinder 03, but if the inner cylinderis grooved, so as to form two cylinders connected by an axial member,the partition would be extended therein. Between the partition 2', theinside wall of the outer cylinder a and the outside wall of the innercylinder 03 are arranged the sets of chambers 12, 0'. One set I) isdisposed on one side of the partition 2' and forms the compressionchambers, and the other set a is disposed on the other side of thepartition 2' and forms the firing or power chambers. The lengths ofthese chambers 11, c are determined by abutments Z projecting from theinner wall of the outer cylinder a to the outer wall of the innercylinder d. The abutments are carried by the outer cylinder (1 as alsois the beforementioned partition 2'. The inside of the outer cylinder ais therefore constructed with two distinct sets of chambers 15, c whichare so arranged that when the inner cylinder is placed into position allthe chambers b, c are closed. The number and length of chambers b, cdepend upon the size of the engine and the power it is desired todevelop. The sets of chambers b, 0' have valve connections which arepreferably disposed in the partition 2' and the abutments Z formed inthe outer cylinder a.

From the axially arranged inlet and exhaust openings 6, f of the innercylinder d extend radial passages m, n so that the fuel or mixture canpass through one set, m, of said passages to one set of chambers b, andfrom the other set of chambers, 0 through another set of said passages,n, to the exhaust port f. On the outer Wall of the inner cylinder 01 anddisposed between said radial passages are suitably pivoted the vanes 9.These vanes are arranged to operate in said chambers b, c and are soconstructed that, when they pass the abutments Z contained on the innerwall of the outer cylinder a they. automatically fall into recesses 0disposed in the outer wall of the inner cylinder (1. The vanes g arecontinually pressed against the walls of the chambers 12, 0 by anysuitable means such as those I hereinafter described. The number ofvanes g and the number of radial passages m. n depend upon'the' numberof chambers b, 0 employed in the construction of the engine, and inpractice it has been found that a set of chambers b or 0 containing thechambers b or c is suitably arranged to receive five operating vanes 9,but the relative numbers of vanes g and chambers b, or 0 will naturallyvary with experience and practice,

- and in no Way will interfere with the generalconstruction of theengine.

In the construction shown, I provide a main cam surface to which can bemounted upon or carried by the outer cylinder a and is disposed in thepath of cams 41) attached to the spindles 'w of the vanes 57. It willthus be seen that as the inner cylinder revolves within the outercylinder the cams '10 will ride over the main cam surface w and transmitthe necessary movements to the vanes. Mounted upon the same spindles ware other cams w which in turn co-act with the cams 10 carried by'thespring-controlied valve-return rods 'w as shown in Fig. 7 to give thelatter a reciprocating motion. The valve return rods w are connected asshown with the valves 1' contained in the partition z' adjacent to theabutments Z of the engine. Any well known and suitable construction offiring mechanism can be used for causing the necessary explosions forthe firing charges.

The operation of the engine is as follows The fuel is sucked or drawninto one set of chambers b by the respective set of operatingvanes g. Itenters from the axis e of the inner cylinder (Z passes through one setof radial passages m into one set of chambers, 0'. These chambers b arethe compression chambers; the fuel becoming compressed by the rotatingvanes g, operating in this set of chambers, the compressed fuel is sweptthrough valves 72 contained in passages Q formed in the abutments Z. Avalve 1* is then operated to allow the compressed fuel to pass throughthe partition 11 into the other set of chambers'c where the firing ofthe charge takes place to operate the respective set of working vanes g.'1. he used mixture is then swept out by the foL lowing vanes 9 throughthe other set of 1adial passages, n, of the inner cylinder (Z, and theexhaust opening f in communication therewith.

Packing strips and rings are represented at w and y, respectively, andoil passages whereby the vanes and their spindles are lubricated at z.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particularconstruction of rotary engine, I desire it to be understood that I in noway commit myself to the precise construction shown but reserve theright to construct any such engine whose design falls within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a. rotary engine, a, casing, a ro or, compressionand combustion chambers arranged side by side between the casing androtor, valved passages between the compres sion and combustion chambers,vanes operable in said chambers, means for operating the varies, andmeans for operating said valves, the compression chambers having inletports leading thereinto through the axis of the rotor and the combustionchambers having exhaust ports leading therefrom through the axis of therotor.

2. A rotary engine comprising an outer casing, a rotor mountedwithinsaid outer casing compression and combustion chambers formed in theouter casing, fuel transfer valves having spring controlled valve-rods,pivoted vanes adapted to operate within said chambers, a main camsurface arranged on the casing, cams carried on the spindles of thevanes adapted to cooperate with said main cam surface and other camsmounted on said spindles for co-action with the valve rods of theaforesaid valves.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name

